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GREENWICH, Conn. -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the first woman to hold that position, will be the keynote speaker at the annual Fund for Women and Girls Luncheon in Greenwich on Thursday, the Fairfield County Community Foundation announced.

The event has already sold out, but those interested in attending can add their names to a wait list.

The Fairfield County Community Foundation
promotes philanthropy to build and sustain a vital and prosperous community where all have the opportunity to participate and thrive, according to the organization's website.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Foundation’s Fund for Women and Girls has awarded more than $2.5 million in grants to help nearly 3,000 women and girls throughout Fairfield County. Grants are awarded to support and create local nonprofit programs designed around the unique needs of girls and women.

From 1993 to 1997, Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was a member of the President’s Cabinet, according to Albright's website. From 1989 to 1992, she served as president of the Center for National Policy. Previously, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff and served as chief legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Edmund S. Muskie.

Albright is a professor in the practice of diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She is chairwoman of both the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the Pew Global Attitudes Project and serves as president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. She serves on the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the Secretary of Defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy.